Journey of the Lich
by BlackShadowWave
Summary: Kel'Thuzad was shaken at Anub'Arak's death, but still leads the Scourge. His next target is to push into Azeroth. But there is still one who hunts for him...
1. Prologue: After the Civil War

PROLOGUE

I am Kel'Thuzad the Lich. I am the advisor, majordomo, and commander of the Scourge in Lordaeron in the name of the Lich King, Arthas. During recent events, I felt like I have evolved…

A banshee, Sylvanas Windrunner, turned her back on our former Lich King, Ner'Zhul for rebellion. King Arthas slew her during his scourge of the land, and she harbored a terrible vengeance for my king. After her foiled assassination of the king by me, she foolishly vowed to take over Lordaeron, then the Frozen Throne. War was waged between us two, lich against dark ranger, necromancers fighting banshees. When her general Dreadlord Varimathras was introduced, King Arthas sent his former advisor, the Crypt Lord Anub'Arak, to aid me in my mission.

During numerous struggles against surviving dwarves and the banshee's forces, both of us fought valiantly in the name of the Scourge. When we at last arrived at the final showdown, I ended the ranger's time on Azeroth. Anub'Arak dealt with the Dreadlord, and eventually won. However, the damn Natherizim still lived, and used his remaining energy to send both himself and the Crypt Lord plunging into the sea. I, in a vain attempt to save him, conjured an ice platform to hold them from their deaths. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated my powers, and the platform was too weak. I watched helplessly and uselessly as they entered the roaring waters.

When Anub'Arak disappeared beneath the crushing waves, I was free from my king Arthas' control. The death of my first friend had left me feeling unwholesome; I yearned to find the reason of my newfound feelings. I had traveled into the forest for many days and many nights, unsuccessful in my wanderings. Now, I only hope that, with the Scourge, my destiny will lead me to the search for my reason…


	2. Chapter 1: Cho'Nammoth

Chapter 1

The land of Lordaeron…once a huge and majestic human land, it has now reduced to a mass of blight. No living creature stirred here; all plants and animals were nowhere to be seen. The land's so defile by death, not even nature can overcome this. The Undead have truly taken over the land.

"Necromancers, haul yourselves over there! King Arthas wants this citadel to be finished by the end of the month, and we cannot have you idle workers angering our king!" a lich barked at a group of necromancers who were huddled, deep within a conversation. The red-robed mages jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly went to follow his orders.

A robed skeletal being, these liches were once orc shamans who followed Ner'Zhul. Now brought back into the undead, they command the armies of the Scourge in his name. Cho'Nammoth, one of these horrific beings, was sent as a servant and assistant to Kel'Thuzad under Arthas's orders to construct a black citadel in Lordaeron. The citadel was to be the main fortress for the Undead there.

Cho'Nammoth hovered over the Kel'Thuzad, who sat upon his silver throne. He floated above the circular steps that surrounded the chair and paused in front of the master lich. "What is it now, lich?" Kel'Thuzad asked lazily as Cho'Nammoth approached.

"Master, I must ask you the reason for your orders of sending out scouts. I doubt that any banshees are left in this kingdom and none have escaped our execution. Our reign has extended already to Ironforge, where the dwarves' mountains still resist our assimilation. No one dares defy us in our lands now. The scouts would be put to better use to help hasten the construction of our Black Citadel," the lich informed, trying to keep his anger down as much as possible; how dare he call him a lich when he himself was no different?

Kel'Thuzad stood up, and hovering close to the other lich so his face was in front of his, stated softly, "I have my reasons. These banshees are cunning; you forget they were once part of Sylvanas's forces. Surely she has taught them some of her tricks."

Cho'Nammoth interrupted, "But-"

"Do not defy me. Go back to your post and resume supervising the construction." Kel'Thuzad said with a note of finality, and returned to his throne, where a necromancer was waiting to update him of the construction.

Cho'Nammoth, fuming, turned and went back to his supervision. His robes billowing behind him, he thought, "That fool…what other fools hide in our lands? Any hostility is responded with a quick death…and no living creature can live in the death that plagues the land now. I shall speak to King Arthas about this…"

A necromancer approached him as the ghostly lich was pondering, his staff being used as a walking stick. "General Cho'Nammoth, our scouts have found something peculiar in the forest."

Cho'Nammoth, completely taken back as this news was reported at an ironic time, recovered and said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Lead me to it!"

The mage led the caster into the forest. Numerous paths had been marked here, using a special blight. These paths led from base to base, serving as markers for caravans. Straying from the path, the necromancer continued faster and deeper into an uncharted section of the woods. Cho'Nammoth, a bit surprised at the speed of the necromancer's pace, started to follow at a pace of jogging. A sudden snap of a twig brought him whipping around.

"Who's there?" he called into the darkness. No sound replied. Now on guard, he turned back around, only to see the necromancer had disappeared somewhere.

"Son of a…where did that blasted necromancer go?" Muttering in annoyance, he decided to continue straight on, hoping to meet or see the scouts the mage had mentioned.

Suddenly, he whipped around; he sensed something in the air. Reaching into his robes while looking around warily, his skeletal fingers grasped a transparent, round object on a pedestal. He waved his other hand around it, murmuring some enchantment. Fog appeared and swirled around in the crystal ball; when it stopped and parted, a figure could be seen flashing around from place to place, almost as quick as a lightning bolt. Temporarily unwary and mesmerized at the vision, he never noticed a figure crawling up to him. Claws gleaming in the moonlight, he flashed forward; one hand went toward the head and the other toward the back.

Cho'Nammoth's head suddenly started to jerk upward, but stopped in the same manner. Dropping the crystal ball, he looked down; metal talons had torn right through him, dripping in the undead blood.

The attacker whispered, "How touching, no one near to hear your screams of death," and tore the lich's head off. His howl of death was never heard as the figure traipsed off into the forest, still holding Cho'Nammoth's head…


	3. Chapter 2: Nightsorrow

Chapter 2

Darkness. Black as far as the eye can see. No sign of life here. It was a typical, yet unfortunate scene in Lordaeron now.

But not today. A ghostly wail echoes throughout the land, the spirit crying for vengeance. The Undead will forever hear the echoes of the ghost screaming for revenge, forever moaning the words, "Cho'Nammoth…" 

Kel'Thuzad stood perched over the cliffs behind his throne, overlooking the sea. The exact spot he stood was also where he watched the now missing Crypt Lord fall towards the icy waters. No one dared to disturb him in his reverie; to disturb a mage or scholar in deep thought was practically suicidal, and liches were no different. His mind raced toward different thoughts as he tried to cope with his newfound feelings which had not been felt for a very long time. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, he broke his gaze over the ocean and turned back to the throne where a necromancer was patiently waiting.

The caster spoke as the lich sat down, "Master Kel'Thuzad, one of our lich advisors, Cho'Nammoth, has been missing for a week's time. Our shades, who have been prowling around the whole area of the land, reported nothing."

Kel'Thuzad sighed, wondering where his pompous general could be. "Very well; continue the search. It feels uneasy to have him somewhere out there alone. Updates on the citadel?" he replied.

"Our Necropolis has been upgraded to a Halls of the Dead, and continuing towards the form of a Black Citadel. Acolytes are busy harvesting and haunting the many mines of Lordaeron, although our supply is running dry. Our wood-chopping ghouls have been hard at work, but the forests too are diminishing. We will need to extend our power towards the old land of Azeroth, past Ironforge," the necromancer said monotonously, as though he memorized this speech.

"Perhaps it is time to do as you have said, mage. Very well; get back to work."

The blue-robed necromancer bowed deeply, and walked briskly back toward the huge Citadel. The building was a huge mass of green, surrounded by ancient runes. Black-hooded acolytes could be seen from the bottom to the top of the building, all busy with the construction of the Citadel. The quadruped, bloody ghouls were on a perfect sync as they one by one dropped off wood and returned to the forests.

As Kel'Thuzad pondered over the lost lich, a Death Knight rode up to him and unmounted. These warriors rode on skeletal, shadowy steeds draped in unholy tapestries. They themselves wield giant runeblades marked with transcriptions and were empowered with the ability to steal souls by the Lich King himself.

The Death Knight, Lord Nightsorrow, one of a trio of Death Knights, walked with the air of a strict general. His white hair flowed down toward his black armor, which glinted in the afternoon sun. He bowed on one knee as he approached the Master Lich, and spoke in a tone that would send chills down spines. "Lord Kel'Thuzad (The lich's eyes narrowed for a split second; his servants call him by 'Master', not 'Lord', but he quickly returned to normal so as not to create suspicion in the knight), one of our shades have found a clue to the case of Cho'Nammoth."

Still not believing that this is the same knight that aids him in commanding his army, he responded in an icy tone, "Good. Lead me to him at once."

Now it was Nightsorrow's turn for his black, pupil-less eyes to narrow, with an additional scowl as well. Quickly hiding these signs of annoyance, he stood up, remounted his obedient and awaiting steed, and led the lich into the forest.

The shadows crept toward the pair as they enter the foreboding, dead forest. Branches creaked and swayed in the lifeless wind. The crunch of leaves bellow from the ground as Nightsorrow's steed continued. At last, they reached an opening where a black instead of a blue-robed necromancer stood.

The mage began, "General Nightsorrow! Good to see you brought Lord Kel'Thuzad safely here."

Kel'Thuzad now knew that these two are not his forces; Nightsorrow was a lord, not a general. Putting his hands behind his back, he formed two ice daggers by collecting the moisture from the humid air.

As Nightsorrow and the necromancer continued speaking, Kel'Thuzad swiftly and silently tossed both daggers at the mage. One pierced his head, and the other went through his stomach. He gasped in pain, and fell to the ground, turning into bones along the fall. With an almighty crash, the bones broke into dust.

Nightsorrow unsheathed his sword and said snidely, "Looks like you realized my plan early. However, you still fell into my trap."

Kel'Thuzad responded coldly in anger, "What is the meaning of this!? Where is my general, Lord Nightsorrow!?"

"He is…indisposed." The fake death knight replied lightly, and raised his sword to strike. He catapulted himself towards the lich at high speed, attempting to impale him.

Instantly forming two of his signature ice swords, the lich parried the sword strike and kneed Nightsorrow in the stomach. The knight flinched and recoiled back in pain, and Kel'Thuzad took the opportunity to unleash a Frost Nova. Muttering incantations, he tossed his palm onto the ground, where an icy fissure traveled from there to Nightsorrow. Ice exploded right where the knight stood, showering the area with chunks of frost and dirt covered in blight. While the dust was clearing, the lich could make out a larger figure than the knight standing in the center of the nova.

Kel'Thuzad's eyes opened wide in amazement, and he unconciously dropped his swords. He started backing himself up while uttering in shock, "No...it can't be you..."


	4. Chapter 3: Failed Vengeance

**Chapter 3**

The wind whistled through the forest now…but all was quiet; not even a leaf stirred in the gentle breeze. And in a clearing, a Dreadlord advances upon a lich…but they were not alone. A spirit was with them, attempting to aid the lich however he can…

Varimathras spoke as he continued walking, "Yes, it is I, Varimathras. That plunge into the open sea during Sylvanas's death did not kill me as expected; I had been lucky to snatch a health potion from your Nerubian friend…"

_Crashing through the thin ice, Anub'Arak and Varimathras continued falling into the threatening gulf of water. Flashing his steel like talons, he slashed at the Crypt Lord's underside. Anub'Arak grunted in pain as he attempted to smash him with one of his claws, but that left him open and vulnerable. The Dreadlord quickly blocked the blow, and plunged his hand into Anub'Arak's wing where he kept his items. He quickly withdrew a vial full of a green, watery substance, which he pocketed somewhere._

_Varimathras then placed a foot on Anub'Arak, and kicked hard, sending the Nerubian in with much more velocity. He crashed into the ocean with a mighty impact, sending white foams of water everywhere. Meanwhile, the demon dove into the water with much less velocity and acceleration, and began swimming towards shore. As he felt his feet touch the earth, he quickly pulled uncorked the vial and drank the potion within. Feeling reenergized, he let out a mighty howl of triumph…_

Kel'Thuzad, his eyes wide, listened throughout the Dreadlord's story of that fateful day. As he finished, the lich began growing furious. Insane with rage, he snatched up his swords and charged at him, screaming, "**Anub'Arak will be avenged!**" and attacked blindly. Varimathras dodged each strike easily, and leapt as Kel'Thuzad swung both swords at him. Landing a few paces backwards, he grabbed the swords as Kel'Thuzad attacked downward towards the demon's head. Without much effort, he snapped the ice blades in two, and then kicked the lich in the stomach, sending him sailing. Kel'Thuzad crashed into a tree trunk on his back, and slid down to the ground, sending bits of branches everywhere.

Varimathras once again advanced toward the lich, shaking his head. His plan had worked perfectly; his account of the story had weakened him. "I thought you knew better than to attack in rage; anger makes fights predictable." Kel'Thuzad raised his arm weakly, muttered something, and sent a Frost Nova to him in response. Lazily moving his arms, he blocked the ice with stones of fire that burned with an intensity that could melt any ice. The rocks smashed into the ice, sending snow and gravel showering around the area.

As the Dreadlord was occupied with his spell, Kel'Thuzad quickly dashed behind another tree and took out a vial of green potion. Drinking the healing substance, he glanced around to see where Varimathras had gone, but the demon had disappeared. Feeling fear, he started to run back to base. Glancing backwards every few seconds, stones of fire appeared and attempted to smash him. Dodging each of them clumsily, he formed sharp talons of ice, similar to the Dreadlord's claw. He attached them to his fingers and whipped around the face the demon, his robe billowing behind him. He wasn't going to run; he needed to fight, he decided.

But as he stared into the depths of the dead forest, ready to defend against a surprise attack, nothing happened. The rain of fire had also ceased as well. Now, as he looked around to his right, there were cries of surprise, pain, and struggle. A scream then issued, and it came closer and closer. Kel'Thuzad jumped out of the way nimbly as Varimathras slid along the floor and crashed into the base of the tree trunk. Kel'Thuzad debated whether to finish him off now as the Dreadlord was stirring feebly, but a deep voice overhead thundered out, "**Run, now!**" The master lich quickly looked upward, trying to detect the source of the voice, but all he could see were branches. Following the mysterious voice's advice, he started toward the direction of the Citadel. But as he ran, he couldn't help but notice that he recognized the sound of the voice…


	5. Chapter 4: Nova

**Chapter 4**

_The following morning, Kel'Thuzad summons his two other death knight commanders to his throne…_

"Lord Darkscythe. Lord Darkhallow. I bring grave news upon your third Death Knight brethren. He was murdered by the Dreadlord Varimathras."

The two knights looked up from their kneeling position, their armor clanking, and quickly muttered, "We must find this demon and destroy him. We must avenge our fellow Lord Nightsorrow!"

The two started to get up and mount their steeds, but Kel'Thuzad held up his hand and stopped them. "I have a plan…and if it goes well, then we will not have as many casualties as charging in blindly to his traps. I…will go duel the Dreadlord, a duel to the death." He ended with a tone of finality.

The Death Knights hastily objected. "That is preposterous! At least let us lords accompany you!"

Kel'Thuzad's expression did not change; he merely stared at them through his cold, blue eyes. "Touched as I am by your loyalty, I have decided. If Varimathras sees reinforcements upon my side, he will resort to his tricks again. If I do not return, then call upon King Arthas for further instructions."

He left them staring bewildered at him, and headed toward the tomb of relics where his treasures were stored. He took out a tome of intelligence, a book bulging with facts about magic and mana. He consumed it, absorbing its information. Feeling rejuvenated, he started looking for his Dagger of Escape which would allow him to blink, a staff of silence similar to Dark Rangers' silence ability, and a round bottle containing a potion of greater healing. Stowing these in his inventory, he headed back toward his throne where a skeleton steed was awaiting. Mounting the horse, he set off toward the forest.

As the dead woods loomed nearer and nearer, he grew more ominous. Kel'Thuzad knew that Varimathras would try something cunning to get the best of him, and he was ready. At the center of the forest, the small arena where they had last fought appeared into view. The lich leapt off his steed and crossed over the gravel surrounding the circular arena.

A leaf stirred, the wind whistled past him. Kel'Thuzad raised his head and, unsheathing his sword, quickly turned around and held a defensive position above him. The demon's claws flashed against the fortified ice, trying to break it through to his defender. The lich threw his sword that blocked the claw back, tossing Varimathras along with it. The Dreadlord landed with an impact that caused a mini-earthquake, dropping dead brown leaves everywhere.

"So, seeking death once more?" Varimathras spoke lightly; he started pacing around the edge of the gravel, never ceasing staring into the lich's eyes.

Kel'Thuzad, now also pacing so they were at exactly the opposite lengths of the circle, replied, "That question is one that you should be pondering, demon," and rushed forward. His blade met dirt as the demon leapt up and started spinning into a drill again. His black wings enveloped him as his hands joined together to form a spike out of his claws. Kel'Thuzad stuck his ice blade into his mouth, holding it, while he took out a short, silver knife. Pointing the dagger elsewhere, he teleported a second before the Dreadlord dug into the spot. As he got to his feet, the lich formed ice talons, forcing them into hand-to-hand combat. Ice and steel clanged and flashed as they parried and struck with ferocity, the leaves falling harder than ever. "This is a duel to the death, Dreadlord!" Kel'Thuzad revealed as he landed another strike. Finally, the fight broke as they slid backwards from the force of combat. Varimathras panted in fatigue; Kel'Thuzad, being Undead, showed no tiredness, but he as well began to falter. The demon bore many marks of slashes; his wings were tattered up, and a gash let out a deep flow of blood. The lich looked no better off than him; his robes were severed as well, although he didn't receive a powerful wound.

Both summoned up their strength for one last spell, hoping to catch each other off guard and finish them. Varimathras held fireballs in his hands as he muttered incantations to a Rain of Fire spell. Kel'Thuzad held a ball of frost as he casted a Frost Nova attack. Both launched their projectile that was held in their hands, and then summoned the spell. Rocks covered in white-hot flames shot toward Kel'Thuzad like meteors, but an ice fissure, cracking the ground as it headed towards Varimathras, met the stones in midair. The impact of the two spells' collision created an explosion similar to a supernova; magical energy exploded around them, casting trees into flames and scorching the ground. Both demon and lich were wrapped around the explosion and tossed backwards; when the smoke cleared, both were lying on the ground, unmoving.

Around the trees that were half burned, five beetles unburied themselves from the earth. The purple bugs headed toward the lich and began dragging him off towards a section of the forest. There, another huge figure waited…


	6. Chapter 5: Amassing Forces

**Chapter 5**

_A bolt of lightning…a flash of thunder…the floor designed with the splatter of crimson fluids…a crack in the earth…death cries surrounding from every angle…a giant whoosh of air from flight…_

_A skull appears, cackling, bringing death…but this is not the work of the Undead…no, it is the work of…_

Kel'Thuzad sat bolt upright into a sitting position, panting heavily despite his unnecessary breathing. Extraordinarily, beads of ice dripped from his skull-like head, even though Undead do not sweat.

The two death knight lords, Lords Darkscythe and Darkhallow, quickly rushed into the altar of darkness where the master lich was housed. "Master lich, finally you have awoken. What had happened in the forest? Are you well?"

Kel'Thuzad placed his skeletal hand upon his face, burying it in his palm. He closed his eyes as he reeled from the vision…it was so powerful and real, it almost penetrated his mind. He shook his head, recovering, and asked, "Lord Darkscythe, Lord Darkhallow. Where am I? What has happened in the last few days?"

The death knights were taken aback at his mention of 'the last few days'. Darkhallow stepped forward uneasily and responded in a hesitant tone, "Well, master…you were unconscious at the edge of the woods when Darkscythe was leading a caravan toward the next base. He found you slumped against a tree, and immediately brought you back to the main base. You are in the altar of darkness currently."

Kel'Thuzad nodded, and at the pause, asked, "Did you find anything in the forest? Did you see the Dreadlord?"

Darkscythe then responded instead, "Yes; we traveled deep into the forest where you and the demon fought. A sign of struggle was there, and the trees were burned, but otherwise there is no sign of the Dreadlord."

The lich then went into deep though, putting his chin on his index finger and thumb. _If I survived it, then there is still the probability of the Dreadlord alive as well…But what occurred to bring me back here?_

Breaking out of his stupor, he asked the death knights in a curious and light tone, "Did you observe anything peculiar around the area where I was found unconscious?"

Darkscythe thought for a moment, then hastily spoke, "I do not recall anything, although there were numerous deep holes around the area as though made by some gigantic figure's foot."

Kel'Thuzad nodded, and asked his final question, "How long was I in the coma?"

Darkhallow answered, "For a month. The citadel has long been completed, and we are awaiting your orders."

Kel'Thuzad got up, flapping his robes clean of dust. He turned to the knights and issued an order, "Very well. Gather up an army. Set up spirit towers under construction. We are going to storm Ironforge and end the puny dwarves' presence upon this land once and for all. Once all human life has ended and the dwarves lay dead, we can then spread our reign to Azeroth in the name of the Scourge."

Darkhallow interrupted, "Are you sure, my master? Perhaps we should wait a while before we set out; you have just recovered, after all. And the Dreadlord still might be out among the shadows."

He looked coldly at the outburst, and responded in an icy tone, "I am fine. And the Dreadlord is of no great concern currently to me. Set out and complete your orders now; I want our forces amassed by sunset.

The death knights bowed deeply, and with a swish of their capes, headed out of the altar.

Kel'Thuzad himself left and returned back to his throne, overlooking the sea once again, buried in deep thought.

The yellow golden sun soon sank into a deep blood-red as the star started sinking beneath the waves. The snarling ghouls were restless at the thought of fresh blood now, shown from the way they dug the ground impatiently, as were the hulking abominations that were shoving each other to get up to the front of the ranks for first blood. The grey, arachnid crypt fiends sat monotonously at the rear of the group, always being single minded ever since the disappearance of their king Anub'Arak, eyes never taken off their focus. The monstrous gargoyles stood perched upon the treetops, staring toward Ironforge and awaiting orders, but occasionally opening and stretching their crystalline wings. The robed necromancers stood huddled out of their ranks, deep in discussion. Black obsidian statues that shone in the waning sun hovered mysteriously in the center, emanating a mysterious, unseen aura around everyone. The huge, dragonish frost wyrms flew above them all, blowing gentle breezes around the vicinity; shards of frost fell from their mouth as they exhaled.

The two Death Knights rode toward the front of the ranks, ready to lead. The skeletal steeds were enveloped with war tapestries that bore the mark of skulls and bones. Their runeblades glinted as rays of light struck it, and their thick shields' skull seemed to stare into the eyes of the watcher.

The master lich, Kel'Thuzad, at long last appeared just as the sun dipped below the dark ocean. A wandering cloud hovered past above the undead, revealing the full moon. The rays of moonlight lit up the whole scene eerily. As Kel'Thuzad's face lighted upon, a flicker of a smirk crept past his face as he assumed position behind his Death Knights. Unsheathing his sword with a sound that would send chills down spines, he pointed his weapon toward Ironforge, and Lords Darkhallow and Darkscythe began to advance.


	7. Chapter 6: Ironforge

**Chapter 6**

A sleeping rifleman, clad in a blue cloak that covered his dragonhide armor and boots, lay on his bed on top of a stone tower, his blunderbuss above his head. This short, stony watch tower, crafted by the dwarves themselves, was impossible to siege and destroy, except by their own weaponry. The watcher, struggling to keep his eyes open, eventually succumbed to the mistress of dreams.

But a figure flew past the walls, flattening itself upon the opposite wall. It crawled into the tower, ever so slowly, and halted by the rifleman. Speaking softly, she uttered a sweet song; the rifleman smiled and turned over on his left. The song turned into a scream, and the dwarf's eyes flew open. His shriek of horror never left him, as his life was no more.

He picked up his blunderbuss as though hypnotized, and began dashing toward Ironforge…

The area near Khaz Modan was relatively green, as the Undead avoided the wrath of the dwarves until they were ready. Trees still lived, and flowers still bloomed despite the dwarven element of earth. Nature was still struggling very weakly here…

But as the Undead army passed through towards Ironforge, the last of nature was shattered in the continent of Lordaeron. Trees turned blackened by the trail of blight, flowers were crushed, and animals fled. Kel'Thuzad smirked as he saw the last of nature disappear in Lordaeron; the death of something so great and worldly appealed to him, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Presently the army reached the area where the stone tower resides. The short, defense walls still stood, and the roof which housed a cannon lie strongly.

Lord Darkhallow dismounted his steed with a clatter from his armor, and climbed into the tower. Among bottles of beer brought from Ironforge, a sleeping camp bed with food near it, and a lantern, there was nothing noticeable there. The death knight left it and spoke to Kel'Thuzad in a light tone, "Master, there appears to be nothing here. It seems this is just a watch tower; the cannon is used to alert the dwarves of danger. The watchman seemed to have fled, but not long ago; a bottle of liquid still contains beer."

Kel'Thuzad wondered what could have scared off the dwarf; none of his forces had been ordered to come near here, and they were the first Undead ever to come this close to Ironforge. Deciding to investigate further along the road, he responded curiously, "Very well, Darkhallow…continue the march. I will look into this further."

Darkhallow remounted his steed, and he and Darkscythe continued leading the Undead. The lich kept looking around for any sign of clues; he felt uneasy from the missing watchman and the condition of the tower. All was normal however, but he still could not shake off that nagging feeling…

They finally reached the high stone walls of Ironforge. The ground was earthen by heavy digging; dirt and soil lie everywhere. No rocks were seen though; the dwarves took all the minerals for themselves. The sturdy walls protecting Ironforge had stood for centuries ever since the Dwarves awoke from their Earthen state. The undead would have a hard time breaking through this protection.

Kel'Thuzad ordered the meat wagons forward. The creaking vehicles, imbued with spikes along the center of its wheels and the front, rolled toward the front of the wall, and flung a corpse using its catapult mechanism. The bloody human corpses splattered along the wall, shaking the foundation, but otherwise undamaged it. Kel'Thuzad growled in anger as their siege weapons proved to be of no use. He began to think of more strategies to penetrate the defense…

_Inside Ironforge…_

The watchman, gasping for breath, ran up to King Magni Bronzebeard, who sat upon his throne. The rocky throne room housed many gold and silver artifacts, particularly weapons crafted by either the king himself or his best smiths. Magni's throne was encrusted in many jewels found from their digging; however the seat itself is still a rocky chair. The throne room was particularly small however; an average footman would just be able to get in.

The rifleman bowed on one knee to the king, and placed his blunderbuss in front of him as a sign of respect. "Hail, King Bronzebeard! I bring news of the Undead."

Magni, who was conversing with some of his smiths, quickly jumped up and roared, "Wha' did you jus' say!? The undead?!"

The rifleman held back a smirk, although a shadow of a smile crept across his face for a small second. "Yes, my king; the undead army led by two death knights and a lich-the master lich it seems-is currently heading toward the kingdom of Ironforge."

Magni dismissed his smiths and set them on working weapons. He grabbed his trusty warhammer and battleaxe and declared, "Well, if thos' Undead bastards come looking for death, we'll give 'em death!"

Even as he spoke, another rifle watchman came hurrying up to him, and gasped without even bowing, "My king! The Undead begin to assault our walls!"

Kel'Thuzad raised his hands, spoke in an ancient tongue, and casted his Death and Decay spell on the wall. Purple and dark clouds erupted and covered the wall; nearby trees caught in the decay began aging as though going through thousands of years. The bark liquefied and dripped down toward the roots, which burned them. The stone of the wall chipped in a few places, cracked, and eventually crumbled within minutes and turned into grey ooze. The lich then half-collapsed as he ended his spell. Darkhallow and Darkscythe began moving forward to their master, but he raised his hand and said coldly, "The wall is down! Assault Ironforge now!"


	8. Chapter 7: King Magni Bronzebeard

**Chapter 7**

Darkhallow and Darkscythe remounted their steeds as dwarven villagers panicked from the destruction of their wall. Pointed their swords into Ironforge, the death knights yelled, "Charge!" and the Undead assault began. A few dwarven stragglers who could not leave their homes and possessions quickly met the steel of the knights' runeblades. Numerous dwarves died as the Undead relentlessly destroyed everything and everyone in their path.

Kel'Thuzad, having recovered, rushed into the center of his army as they commenced destruction. As he reached there, a horn sounded; a horn of battle. At the castle of Magni Bronzebeard, the towers were manned and soldiers took arms. Warriors took their swords, axes, and bayonets as rifleman grabbed their blunderbusses. Their tanks and gyrocopters were fuelled and ready to go. A few high dwarves, trained as mountain kings, grabbed their battleaxe and warhammer. The king himself was the first one to greet the Undead.

"Ya rottin' bastards'll pay for killing my kin and assaultin' us!" he roared as he grew taller and taller. His skin and body transformed into stone as he turned into a giant through the power of Avatar. His hammer grew five times in size, and his battleaxe became double-edged. Once he finished his metamorphosis, he leapt high into the air and arced through the sky into the Undead toward Kel'Thuzad. Magni brought his mighty warhammer, which was fabled to have been carved by a Titan himself, down upon the lich's ranks. Kel'Thuzad managed to dove out of the way as the mountain king Thunder Clapped and crushed numerous ghouls into dust. The clap caused a mini-earthquake which shook the Undead forces; while they were preoccupied, the towers were ready and mortars started raining down upon them. The dwarven army was also assembled and rushed at them.

Kel'Thuzad, looking upon the cannon towers exploding a few abominations into many horrific pieces of bloody pink shreds, formed an iceball from the frost around him. The frigid air hardened into a ball of ice as hard as a diamond. This he launched with amazing strength toward one of the towers; the ball sailed into the hole of the cannon, where it imploded the tower and killed the dwarf.

As Kel'Thuzad was busy with the towers, Lords Darkhallow and Darkscythe fought Magni; their army was left to attack each other by themselves. The death knights fought as one; dual vertical strikes, dual roundhouse kicks, and even defended the same way. However, the king's strength and cunningness was great; as he parried their attacks with his huge hammer, he launched a stony kick at Darkscythe's stomach; the knight reeled back and groaned in pain as Magni then slammed his axe down upon Darkhallow's runeblade; the sword snapped into half as Darkhallow dove into the ground from the force he was pushing with, and the king swiftly thrusted his hammer upward, sending the death knight flying.

Meanwhile, Darkscythe recovered and proceeded to attack Magni with a battle cry as he sent his comrade flying; however, this proved to be a fatal mistake. Looking behind him out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the other death knight trying to ambush him. Smirking, he flung his battleaxe backwards with uncanny accuracy; the double-edged weapon caught Darkscythe in the neck and stuck into a tree. Magni, now rushing toward the trapped knight, bellowed, "This is the end of ya!" and slammed his hammer into Darkscythe. Blood exploded from his mouth and body as his body was crushed and pounded, spraying the nearby snow scarlet. Pulling back his axe from the tree, Magni left the corpse to slide down the tree, an agent of the Scourge no more.

Kel'Thuzad had destroyed every single cannon tower while his knights fought Magni, but his army wasn't fairing so well. The gyrocopters had destroyed his frost wyrms with their flak cannons with the assistance of their steam engines; the dwarven warriors were faring well due to their combination of strength and sword, and the rifleman were sniping his army into pieces. The mortar teams, he thought, was the most deadly; bits of Undead were exploding everywhere on the battlefield. _Those mortars…I must get rid of them._

Sneaking over quietly toward the rear of the dwarven army, Kel'Thuzad unsheathed his sword as he approached the mortar teams. The duos were still launching mortars without hesitation, and never noticed the shadow of death creeping up to them. Half were decapitated with a flash of light from the sun onto the blades, and the remaining were blasted into shards of ice from his Frost Nova, as the spell was launched from his palm, split off into pieces, and shot each dwarf.

"Too easy," Kel'Thuzad smirked. As the lich turned back, he saw Darkscythe's corpse left by the base of the tree. Looking around wildly for Darkhallow, he finally found him still fighting Magni. As he began to move to help him, Magni grabbed the death knight by the neck, struck him a few times with his hammer, and flung him towards the castle. There he flew until he was impaled by one of the barricades of the castle defenses; blood dripped from his mouth as he struggled against death itself until he went limp.

Anger and rage grew in Kel'Thuzad as he saw his lords die; he screamed at Magni as he charged toward him, "You will pay for that!" With a flick of his axe, he sliced the ice swords in half and flung a hammer infused with the power of a storm at him. Kel'Thuzad was tossed against the ground as the power struck him backwards. Looking up ahead, he saw Magni grow back to his original size, exhausting the end of his Avatar power. But that did not stop the dwarven king as he jumped on Kel'Thuzad and raised his battleaxe.

"So…any las' words, lich?" he asked quietly as Kel'Thuzad struggled to remove Magni's foot on his skeletal body.

"Yes…go to hell." Another deep voice rang out. Before he knew what happened, Kel'Thuzad looked up and saw two gigantic, sharp claws impaled into Magni's body. Magni himself looked in horror upon the claws protruding out of his body; when the claws were pulled out, he dropped his weapons with a _Clang!_ and fell backwards, moving no more.

A claw was extended to Kel'Thuzad, and as he grabbed it and pulled himself up, he found himself staring into the face of his old friend, Anub'Arak.


	9. Chapter 8: Fire

**Chapter 8**

As King Magni Bronzebeard of the Dwarves fell to his death, the remaining struggling dwarves looked in horror upon the Lich and the Crypt Lord. Instantaneously they scattered, knowing that they could not win without their king. However, the Undead showed no mercy. The gargoyles picked up a few running mortar duos and slammed them into walls; crypt fiend locusts bit and chewed the runners' legs; abominations cleaved off the dwarves' bottom halves, leaving a gruesome and bloody death.

Kel'Thuzad and Anub'Arak observed their slaughtering army in silence together. After they finished off all living things in sight, they began tearing down the houses and buildings of Ironforge villagers. Anub'Arak then spoke in his same deep voice, breaking the silence. "You have trained our army even better during my absence. Well done, Kel'Thuzad."

The master lich bowed his head down in response, still not comprehending his reactions of his old friend being alive once again. Then he turned his head and stared at Anub'Arak. The Crypt Lord had seriously been through many hardships; his wings were tattered, his head bore many scars, and he was missing one leg along the side of his body. The lich turned his head away then asked in a light tone, "Care to fill me in of how you escaped the wrath of the sea?"

Anub'Arak's head sunk a bit as he thought out his answer. "I'd rather not as of the moment; after the destruction of Ironforge is complete, I shall tell you all."

Kel'Thuzad thought this a bit strange of a deal, but he decided to ignore it for the time being. A red-robed necromancer then hurried up to Kel'Thuzad and bowed on one knee. "Master Kel'Thuzad, we have killed all surviving dwarves in Ironforge. We are proceeding to storm the castle," he reported.

The lich acknowledged this with a wave of his skeletal hand, then asked the Crypt Lord, "Shall we accompany them?"

Anub'Arak, giving no answer, started heading toward the fortress. Taking his silence a bit aggravating, Kel'Thuzad followed. The stone castle loomed nearer and nearer; the frost covered towers seemed to reach endlessly into the sky, and the whole foundation seemed formidable and threatening. When they reached the front gates, they found their troops attempting to hack the iron door down. Anub'Arak, shoving the abominations out of the way, slammed his claws horizontally upon the metal; the door split as easily as though it was made out of flimsy wood. The beetle gave another vertical slice and the door fell open. The Undead rushed through the open door, reminiscent to ants through a tiny space.

Kel'Thuzad and Anub'Arak brought up the rear of the pack. The room seemed deserted, although the decorations weren't; royal tapestries still hung, bearing a coat of arms of a crossing warhammer and battleaxe. A few ancient pottery and vases still stood on gleaming white pedestals, similar to marble. Sadly, the historical and royalty items were destroyed as abominations and ghouls rampaged through, annihilating the place. Crypt fiends and necromancers explored the rooms, making sure no dwarf was left alive.

After they had explored, the previous necromancer reported to the lich, "Master Kel'Thuzad, it seems that the surviving dwarves housed within this castle have evacuated. Do not worry, for our gargoyles are attempting to pick them off, as they could not have gone. We also could not gain entrance to the throne room; another metallic door has barred our war, this time magic imbued. Readings of strong magics have also been discovered near the throne room."

The two, upon hearing this, headed toward the throne room. As the time with the metal entrance of the castle, the Undead assembled around the throne room door. Anub'Arak, without hesitating, thrusted his claws horizontally once again; however, his claw merely landed a crushing blow to the door that did not even dent it. He slammed both of his front claws down vertically, but bore the same results.

"What trickery is this? I have been able to crush anything in my path, and this door should be no exception!" He angrily exclaimed. Kel'Thuzad, however, examined the door.

"Upon closer investigation, the door seemed to be emitting a purple glow. It seems that a spell was placed on this, a rather ancient spell I might add. I will need to break its enchantments if this door would ever be destroyed," he murmured. Taking out his famed Book of the Dead, he opened the skull-decorated book and examined it. Placing his palm upon the door, he uttered an enchantment. Ice exploded from his palm, and the aura faded away.

"Try again, Anub'Arak." The crypt lord slammed his claws down, and the door ripped to shreds. The undead hurried in, the ghouls and abominations eager to do some damage, but Kel'Thuzad halted them when they were all in.

"I sense some strong magical energies emitting somewhere in this throne room…energies that I have not felt since I was resurrected at the Sunwell of the Quel'Thalan. This room houses something dangerous, possibly a magical being. Do you feel it too?" He muttered.

"Yes…the energy is quite strong. We have to be on guard." Anub'Arak responded. The necromancers went about searching through the room while the rest of the troops were dispatched outside. One necromancer then called, "Master! I have found an incantation! This seems to be written in ancient dwarf hieroglyphics."

"Translate," Kel'Thuzad ordered coldly.

"Beware of what lies within this room…should this being be unlocked, Azeroth shall fall, and the elementals shall rise again."

From the moment he finished his words, a pillar of fire erupted underneath where he was standing. The mage never even felt pain as the flames licked everything. The rest of the necromancers, Kel'Thuzad, and Anub'Arak quickly evacuated as the inferno grew larger and larger; once the group managed to get out, the fire had quickly surrounded the castle. Orange and red light shone everywhere as everything nearby caught on fire.

Suddenly, a figure drew out from the fiery inferno. The figure was clasped in a breastplate that extended to covering his shoulders with metal and spikes; few metal plates bore around the top of his hand as metal formed around a crown with horns.

"Hail, foolish mortals! I, the king of the fire elementals, Ragnaros have risen! This world shall bow down to my flames, and death to all who oppose the fire!"

The fire elemental disappeared within the flames, which evaporated into the air, leaving a smoking rubble where the castle stood.


	10. Chapter 9: Ragnaros

**Chapter 9**

The dead of the night whispered silently upon the land of Lordaeron. Not only have trees been defiled and decayed, but now, they have also suffered the fate of being burnt to cinders. White ash filled the area where trees were crisped, but that did not stop the vile Undead from finishing their work.

"Hurry up, you mangy ghouls. The master lich wants us to finish this shipment of corpses and wood in this settlement," a sharp, impatient necromancer barked at some ghouls who were clumsily and slowly loading wood onto a meat wagon. The dead ghouls merely snarled in acknowledgement and quickened the pace, afraid of any punishment that would involve them being eaten by an abomination or worse.

The necromancer walked off to check upon the other lines of ghouls and wagons, making sure that each and every one were working on their task obediently; no one would be slacking off while he was in charge. Finally as he came upon the last line, he only observed charred wagon remains and ashes around.

Snarling in anger, he whipped back toward the ghouls and bellowed, "Who's been playing with a torch?!" Flinging his staff, he aimed at an unfortunate ghoul who shrieked; its limbs tore off of the body, as well as the head. The dismembered ghoul, or the remains of its parts, fell to the ground in a clatter of bones.

The necromancer held his staff upright again and yelled once again, "Answer me!"

A chilling voice behind him yelled, "I did…" The necromancer turned back, and was promptly reduced to a pile of ash. All the ghouls immediately began to swarm the attacker, but as they struck Ragnaros, all their hands dissolved and melted in a slick liquid. The handless ghouls staggered back as the rear ones began their assault. When all the ghouls were handless, Ragnaros, with a smile, waved his hand horizontally across them all, unleashing a wave of fire that enwrapped around the living corpses. When the smoke cleared, only black and charred bodies remained. Ragnaros laughed evilly as he raised his head into the night sky victoriously, his body of fire casting tree shadows everywhere eerily…

At the burnt village, a lich and crypt lord rushed in, examining the place. A group of necromancers and meat wagons followed them, armed and ready for battle. The creaking of the wagons echoed through the woods, as though they were in a cave. The mages' steps crunched the burnt and charred leaves scattered throughout the ground.

Finally, Kel'Thuzad spoke up in an icy tone. "It certainly looks like the work of the master fire elemental, Ragnaros. No other being can cause greater fiery devastation than him."

Anub'Arak looked around after the lich's words. "He cannot be too far ahead. These wood remains look only recently burned."

Kel'Thuzad suddenly raised his head. "I sense magic in the air…very strong magic."

Anub'Arak abruptly turned backwards and quickly shouted, "Meat wagons, move!"

A huge fireball shot toward the siege weaponry with the speed of a meteor. The projectile crashed upon the wagons with destructive force; they were destroyed, burned to a form lesser than atoms. The necromancers were incinerated from the blast; Anub'Arak and Kel'Thuzad, being the farthest ahead from the wagons, braced themselves and defended.

When the smoke cleared, Ragnaros hovered above the crash site smugly and looked around. "You puny Undead are so easy to destroy. My fire isn't even worth being spread for you useless beings!"

Kel'Thuzad immediately started conjuring his twin ice swords from the air, but there was no evaporation to form the ice due to the intense heat emanating from Ragnaros's body. Water vapor gathered near his hand, only to turn into steam after a few seconds. Muttering in anger, Kel'Thuzad held out his palm to launch a Frost Nova; the icy explosion erupted from his palm, ice shards sticking out to impale the fire elemental. Ragnaros merely smirked and waved his hand to summon his fire wave; the ice melted as it approached the wave within five feet. The lich tried to unsheathe his Blink Dagger to dodge the attack, but the fire wave suddenly increased acceleration; it struck Kel'Thuzad across the stomach area. The lich was sent flying backwards as the wave dissipated, and he landed on the ground painfully.

Ragnaros laughed loudly. "This is the power of the Undead leader on this land?"

Anub'Arak charged in behind him while extending his claws, attempting to impale him. Ragnaros, sensing the Crypt Lord coming from behind, twisted his body around. "What is it with you mindless Undead and suicide?" He laughed as he tossed a fireball at Anub'Arak. The beetle braced himself with his claws as the fireball approached; it slammed into him with amazing force, but Anub'Arak's strength was greater; he held on to the fireball, and eventually managed to stop it.

"You were saying, elemental?" Anub'Arak smirked as he struggled to hold onto the fireball. Ragnaros brought up his right metal claw, and snapped his makeshift fingers. The fireball exploded. Anub'Arak sailed backwards and landed with a crushing weight, moving no more.

"Stupid Undead…not even worth a challenge." Ragnaros looked upon the unmoving lich and crypt lord with almost a pitying look, then traipsed off, leaving trees in flames during his wake.

"We cannot go on like this! Ragnaros merely rampages around our land and destroys our supplies! We are running out of wood and gold, and something must be done." Anub'Arak said angrily and loudly. He then started pacing around the throne room of the Black Citadel, shaking his head. He and Kel'Thuzad had awoken to find themselves still alive, and even miraculously in little injuries, although they were suffering from burns.

Kel'Thuzad stood up from his throne chair and whispered, "Yes, but there is nothing that we can do. My powers of frost and ice are no match against his natural element of fire, while you cannot strike him directly unless you be injured with burns. We have no weapons or troops that can strike him without us losing something greater in return."

Anub'Arak then growled, "Then you suggest we rest here while the firelord walks around, blasting our forces into ash?"

Kel'Thuzad sat down wearily and put his head in his skeletal hand. "I do not know…I truly do not know. We are stuck in a corner."

Suddenly, a hiss rang throughout the room, followed by a snake-like voice calling out, "And so are we."


End file.
